OUR COMMITMENT TO A CIVIC AGREEMENT

The University of Bedfordshire and Luton Borough Council are committed to working together to support the future of the town of Luton. This Civic Agreement is a binding document that will strategically direct our collaboration focussing on key priorities and special projects centred on place, public and partnerships.

This Civic Agreement is important for the University and the Council as it is an opportunity for two institutions central to the future prosperity of Luton to work together for the benefit of the town’s people, businesses, partner organisations and environment.

The Civic Agreement is designed to support the delivery of the Luton 2040 Vision: A place to thrive, a shared town-wide vision that all the key anchor institutions, including the University and Council, worked together to produce and are committed to achieving.

The Vision is that Luton will be a healthy, fair and sustainable town, where everyone can thrive and no one has to live in poverty.

Our partnership work will align with the Luton 2040 vision’s five priorities:

Building an inclusive economy that delivers investment to support the growth of businesses, jobs and incomes.

Improving population wellbeing and tackling health inequalities to enable everyone to have a good quality of life and reach their potential.

Becoming a child-friendly town, where our children grow up happy, healthy and secure, with a voice that matters and the opportunities they need to thrive.

Tackling the climate emergency and becoming a net-zero town with sustainable growth and a healthier environment. Supporting a strong and empowered community, built on fairness, local pride and a powerful voice for all our residents.

The University’s strategy, Transforming Bedfordshire, confirms the University’s role as an anchor institution with a longstanding presence in Luton, especially in the town centre. It has a strong commitment to transforming Luton through embracing a civic and economic role and taking pride in the

University’s engagement with communities and business. The Civic Agreement will build on the University’s existing strengths in local collaborative work, especially for health, arts, heritage and culture, skills, schools outreach, business enterprise and community engagement.

Luton Borough Council’s Corporate Plan is built around the shared Luton 2040 Vision and recognises the central role of partnerships and full system working toward the successful transformation of the town. The Civic Agreement will benefit from the Council’s recent close working with central government and regional partners over levelling up, inward investment, skills and employability, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the role of the airport in creating a prosperous and inclusive town. Collaboration with the University will also support the delivery of key local initiatives such as Luton Rising, Active Travel Luton, the Good Business Charter and the Heritage and Arts and Culture strategies.

Together, the two parties share an ethic for collaboration and a powerful commitment to innovation. This Civic Agreement is intended to bring strategic alignment to the roles of the University and the Council in support of local goals for the transformation of Luton. It seeks to set thematic areas of focus, measurable goals and working practices to ensure greater coordination, alignment and close working. Central to our agreement is a shared celebration of cultural diversity and of the power of research, education and enterprise to shift long-standing societal problems.